Jump directly to the Content
Jump directly to the Content

Sermon Illustrations

Home > Sermon Illustrations

A Lesson on True Success from 'Charlotte's Web'

In his book Xealots, Dave Gibbons reflects on the nature of true success as a leader:

Charlotte's Web is a wonderful little children's story by author E. B. White about a spider named Charlotte who lives in a barn just above the stall of a pig named Wilbur. Wilbur is worried that once he grows fat enough, the farmer is going to turn him into bacon. It's a valid concern.
Charlotte and Wilbur develop a close friendship, and as Wilbur grows larger, Charlotte uses all of her resources to try to rescue Wilbur. She writes messages in her web to convince the farm's owners that Wilbur is a pig worth saving. The story builds to the final chapter titled "The Moment of Triumph."
So what was Charlotte's moment of triumph?
As the story draws to a close, Charlotte the spider is in the barn dying, [Wilbur the pig is being judged at the county fair in a pig contest], and she can hear the roar of applause for Wilbur [as he wins a special prize and thus his life is spared.] Charlotte finds great joy in knowing that her life has meant the success of another, her close friend, Wilbur. Though no one will remember her, the things she has done, and the sacrifices she has made, she is satisfied, having loved her friend in life and in death.

Gibbons adds" "[Leadership] is about fading. The great ones willingly move into irrelevance."

Related Sermon Illustrations

Filling Uncomfortable Positions

Tuesday night I couldn't go to sleep. I clicked on the hotel TV and found my beloved Atlanta Braves playing the Colorado Rockies. It was the 9th inning, and the score was tied ...

[Read More]

"We Were Soldiers": Real Leadership

We Were Soldiers chronicles the true story of the first American battle in Vietnam during the 1960s. Although the battle for civil rights waged on back in the United States, black ...

[Read More]